From Panicked to Refreshed: How Breathwork Reset the Tone of My Virtual Fitness Class
As I began my morning fitness class on Google Meet during the height of the COVID-19 quarantine, I stood in front of my iPad on the sandy beach where our close-knit group previously met all together. We’d take our fitness to the next level with a combination of interval and strength training while soaking in the beautiful Bay Area sunrise.
That day, however, most of my clients chose to continue their home-based participation out of caution. My session plan included —a series of intense HIIT work with weights—and I enthusiastically kicked things with a greeting and jumping jacks quickly, followed by mountain climbers. One client, who I knew as a creative spirit and typically easygoing, shouted with frustration, “something else!” I tried to accommodate by switching to high knees, but she yelled again, “something else!” this time with even more intensity.
I stopped, gathered my thoughts, and listened to what was actually going on. I heard her panic and uncertainty. I surveyed the boxes of familiar faces on my iPad and realized my vocal client was not alone in her anguish. I could see fear in everyone’s face. Who could blame them? Even today, 80% of U.S. adults name the coronavirus pandemic as a significant source of stress in their lives.
Similar to many of us during that time, my clients were starving for calm, compassion, tenderness. I decided it was my job to help provide for those needs in that day’s workout.
I reassured myself, silently repeating, “We are okay. I am okay,” then returned my focus to my clients. At this point, I calmly and quietly switched gears and started Pilates. Switching to this type of exercise offered my clients the workout they sought and provided us all with another powerful source of stress relief, breathwork.
First, breathing can play a vital role in determining what your body and mind are telling you. Too often, we struggle to articulate what’s going in with us internally. Breathing can tell us that: Take a moment to focus on your breath:
Short and shallow is stressed.
Long and deep is calm and focused.
Controlled breathing, another name for breathwork, calms your heart rate, lowers blood pressure and cortisol levels, even during high-stress situations. Additionally, it Improves autonomic response to physical and mental stress and increases blood flow to your arteries.
The Power of Breathwork
Breathwork is essential to having peace within daily life. You can also use it to counter stress in times of high crisis. After all, “tactical breathing” is one of the tools they teach Navy Seals/Marines, first responders, and others to help them navigate stress and maintain focus amid challenging situations. And it works! Retired police officer Tricia Kennedy used breath work to save her life after being shot. The former U.S. Navy SEAL Commander Mark Divine said box breathing, a specific breathing exercise, was instrumental in saving his life during several crises and had a dramatic effect on his overall performance.
After an invigorating, feel-good workout, I received great feedback from everyone. My previously distressed client apologized for being so abrupt and explained how down she had been feeling. She had not been taking care of herself and reacted uncharacteristically due to being ‘out of whack”. She’d been eating poorly, going to sleep late, and not taking time for herself. All these just compounded the problem: She was totally out of her routine.
GRIIT: A Step-By-Step Solution to Getting Your Life Back
Like my client, we all feel out of control sometimes, especially considering the last year’s events. Our lack of routine throws so many areas of our lives out of whack, and reestablishing helpful habits can be challenging.
Sometimes, we don’t even realize lack of control is the reason for our unrest until we do or say something we end up regretting. Others of us turn to food for a sense of control or have a difficult time tracking our nutrition when many of our meal routines have gone out the window during quarantine. If this is you, you aren’t alone. Truth be told, 42% of Americans have experienced undesired weight gain from the pandemic, with an average weight gain of 30 pounds.
So what do we do for ourselves when the world around us is out of control and we are “out of whack?” We get ourselves back into healthy routines. How? In GRIIT, my 90-day habit creation tool kit, I employ a series of daily micro-tasks that increase in difficulty as time goes on. As a result, individuals following the kit develop habits that stick over several months and avoid becoming overwhelmed.
In addition to breathwork, GRIIT focuses on three other interconnected areas, or pillars, of your life: exercise, eating, and sleep. By optimizing these pillars, you create a more fulfilling life and a solid foundation for tomorrow.I formed GRIIT because I knew I wasn’t the only person who struggled with establishing and sticking with habits that are healthy habits, and I didn’t see another product that valued the mind-body connect like I do.
I used to beat myself up when I did not stick to a plan or only went part of the way. Through personal reflection, I realized that the things that affected my choices were the actions I was already doing. I discovered how much my daily routine affected the outcomes of my day. Healthy daily habits enabled me to be successful and productive. The GRIIT kits microtasks, educational materials, and reward system are designed so you can successfully build these healthy habits, too.
In addition to breathwork, GRIIT focuses on three other interconnected areas, or pillars, of your life, which body include exercise, eating, and sleep. By optimizing these pillars, you create a more fulfilling life and a solid foundation for tomorrow.
Are you ready to focus your mind, strengthen your and increase your willpower in order to forge a more powerful version of yourself!”
Get your GRIIT kit today, and I’ll show you how!
